ringleaders: (firebreather)
Lost Carnival Mods ([personal profile] ringleaders) wrote in [community profile] livinglot2016-09-29 10:38 am

⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #1

WELCOME TO THE SHOW!

Or, more specifically, Lost Carnival's first test drive meme! This is an opportunity to try out your characters in the setting before you apply, or to put together samples for characters you've never played before. There are going to be options for both new arrivals and veteran characters. Before we get started, let's lay down some details:
  • You can read the full premise here.
  • Reserves open October 5th at 12:01AM EST.
  • Applications open October 7th at 12:01AM EST.
  • You can apply as a newcomer or as a "veteran" character who has been in the carnival for up to three years.
  • TDM threads can be used as game canon after the fact if both characters are accepted and the players agree to it.
  • If you are interested in additional IC and OOC plot responsibilities, consider applying for a Supervisor position.
  • Supervisor applications will start being processed a few days after apps open, and will be selected on a competitive basis. If you want a supervisor position, it is best to submit your application as close to the beginning of the application cycle as possible. If you don't get chosen for your desired supervisor position, you will be given time to rework your application to be a regular veteran, or to apply for a supervisor position that is not yet taken.
  • Lost Carnival could use some additional moderation assistance! If you are interested, please let us know here.

NEW RECRUITS

You gotta start somewhere, right? These prompts are for characters who are arriving in the carnival for the first time, and who are destined to sign a contract. How they go about that is up to you, but in the meantime they can enjoy the sights and sounds of something truly out of this world. Visitors to the carnival comes from many different worlds today, as the ringmaster casts out her recruitment lures. Will you become her most recent hire?

ADMISSION FEES: After crossing into the carnival's realm and passing through the trees, most visitors will find themselves at the front gate - though not all choose to enter that way. If they enter legitimately, however, they will have to pass by a clerk who will trade admission and tickets for various attractions and rides in exchange for "anything of value." What is of value may seem highly subjective, and so some may struggle to produce payment at first, though in actuality the carnival will take anything from mundane currency to items of purely sentimental value.

MIRROR MAZE: The mirror maze (pictured above) is a big attraction in the carnival, and stretches much further on the inside than it looks like it will on the outside. It's hard to get through, and what's more, after you've been in there for a while your reflections will start gaining a mind of their own - mostly in order to taunt and distract you with personal information. They don't know everything you know, but they know more than they should, and their mind games can be pretty hit or miss.

GAMER'S CIRCLE: Almost all of the game booths are organized in a large ring around the Cookhouse, called Gamer's Circle. Your can play just about any carnival game you can imagine here, for a variety of prizes sometimes traditional, exotic, or outright magical. Dart tossing? Got it. That game with the water guns? Got it. Most of these booths are currently manned by humanoid spirits who look like they are made of smoke. If they can trick you into earning debt, they will.

TRYING TO LEAF: No matter where you came from, you seemingly emerged from a forest. Obviously, to get back home you should be able to go back in the same direction, right? It turns out you can't. Worse, trying too hard to get through the wood will result in you getting lost, or turned back to the carnival. The trees here are not normal, and are varying levels of alien, including things like trees with glowing fruit or orange flowers that constantly burn like candles.

NOT YOUR WHEELHOUSE (NEW): Sometimes, even magical ferris wheels get stuck. The carnival's particular wheel is enchanted to create a particular out of this world experience - as you pass along the top, you feel as if they are so close to the sky that you can interact with the stars like baubles hanging above your head. Of course, the novelty probably wears off when the wheel is broken and you've been stuck enjoying the light show with some stranger for the last half hour. How are you going to pass the time?

WILD CARD: Anything else you can imagine in this setting! There are a lot of possibilities and you're free to explore them. Check out the rest of the game info or the locations page for additional inspiration. Want to make a starter with your character experiencing their first theoretical change? Go for it!

VETERAN WORKERS

These prompts are tailored to the carnival's existing employees, the veterans. Odds are they've been here from somewhere between a few months and three years already, and know their way around the block. For them, this is just business as usual - and depending on their attitude towards their job, they may or may not contribute to a few people accidentally getting themselves a contract. Whatever you do, though, don't warn visitors away from the carnival - the ringmaster hates losing business like that.

DO YOUR WORK: This one's pretty simple - just have your character doing whatever you'd like to have their job be! There is a big list of ideas over here, and you could use this to try things out with a character you intend to be a new arrival, as well.

WILL O' WISPS: The ringmaster's will o' wisps have gotten free, and she's asked that everyone keep and eye out and help her reclaim them regardless of their official jobs. Wisps are small creatures that burn both hot and cold and comes in a few different variations of the same basic theme. Handling them physically (or psionically, or magically, for that matter) is difficult due to their near intangible nature. Touching and being around them can result in confusion and a sensation similar to being comfortably drunk.

BREAK TIME: Whatever you were doing, it's break time! It's time for you to relax however you see fit. Do you enjoy some of the carnival attractions yourself, or is that old by now? Do you hang out in the Cookhouse to get a snack? Do you take a nap? Yolo, baby!

RIDDLE GAME: For a bit of fun, the ringmaster has left a variety of locked chests around the worker areas of the carnival, each with instructions and a riddle written on their lids. The chest will accept three guesses from each worker before refusing to respond to them any further. If you guess the right answer, the chest will open and you will be rewarded with some manner of fun magical knick knack. If you've run out of guesses, maybe you can conspire with someone else and promise to split the prize?

WILD CARD: Anything else you can imagine in this setting! There are a lot of possibilities and you're free to explore them. Check out the rest of the game info or the locations page for additional inspiration. Want to do a performance? Hang out in the Backyard? Choose whatever appeals!
fortuneglass: (o-o?)

this game cannot kick off faster oh gosh

[personal profile] fortuneglass 2016-10-01 09:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oddly enough, a question of age is exactly what Carly needs to get away from rambling, as she tries counting off on her fingers.] Well, I'm pretty sure, I mean I'm only 21 myself, and Zero Reverse happened a little after I was born, so...

[Also that. That paradox thing. It's just more fluster and freak out, but it's...some sort of progress right?] S...Seriously, you have?!

[Weird things really do happen to the famed ones don't they?!]
itaidakimasu: (but it's the devil)

[personal profile] itaidakimasu 2016-10-01 09:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I think it only gives out three guesses per person.

[Which means Yako has two more before they're out of chances.]

Let's think again.
eyeofthetaiger: (huh??)

ii let's shake it up

[personal profile] eyeofthetaiger 2016-10-01 09:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[Kagami has been wandering the forest for quite some time, trying to find his way back home. The carnival is cool and all, but not really Kagami's thing, and he has games to prepare for.

Unfortunately, he's lost.

He's just coming around a tree when suddenly someone falls to the ground right in front of him.]


WHOA-

[He jerks back, instinctively shielding his face. But when he slowly lowers his arms, the recognizes the human cat before him.]

You- what are you doing here!?
missionfail: (blah)

[personal profile] missionfail 2016-10-01 10:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[At the sight of Amethyst, Jasper's expression immediately dulls into the most unamused stare. She lets the mallet lean against the fence behind her, crossing her arms over her chest.]

No. There are customers on the way.

[There are no customers walking anywhere near this attraction.]

[None.]
geho: (Default)

[personal profile] geho 2016-10-01 10:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[It sounds like she was about to give another answer, but sputters suddenly, cutting herself off.]

Only three...?!

[She maaaay have missed that part.]

Okay...from here on out, I'm fighting seriously.

[Just look at that serious face of hers.]
fragileandsoft: (that can't be healthy)

[personal profile] fragileandsoft 2016-10-01 10:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Oh that's--that's a little different than what he's used to. No big glowing lights or terrifying bulging mutations. ]

Oh. Woah, that's... that's pretty neat. [ He's still not sure how to feel about it, but it is pretty cool. ] Does everyone around here do that...?
drrdrrdrr: (>:?)

[personal profile] drrdrrdrr 2016-10-01 10:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[Amethyst looks over her shoulder to confirm that there are indeed zero customers interested in swinging the hammer. She rolls her eyes dramatically.] Aw, come on. [She makes to reach past Jasper to just grab the hammer.]
atouts: (001; le bateleur)

[personal profile] atouts 2016-10-01 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, no thing is ever truly harmless. [ Or very few things, in any case. ] You think it might be an off-shoot of the faire you know? Or perhaps a rival?
toogoodtoopure: ([58])

ikr??

[personal profile] toogoodtoopure 2016-10-01 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Y-yeah. Let's see...there was this guy called Paradox going through time, trying to destroy the history of Duel Monsters. I defeated him with Juudai-kun and Yuusei-kun's help though.

[And...remembered it oddly enough, but he'd chalked it up after as having a Millennium Item and being close to the source. That was how it worked in movies, right? He scratches his cheek, tilting his head in thought. He'd never really thought about it, though he did think about the two other duelists every now and then.]

Still, I'm only eighteen right now. So much of what you said hasn't happened for me...yet...
ferlwin: (Default)

ADMISSION FEES

[personal profile] ferlwin 2016-10-01 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Ferlwin heard the scuffle at the gate and frowned. Did that man really just? She huffed and walked over, looking annoyed.

"Did he really just..." She stamps a hoof and shakes her head, looking annoyed. While she'd never thought to ask about 'living' fare, what she'd just seen annoyed her greatly. Turning to the ticket taker, she handed him a few silver pieces.

"I'll cover the fare for this young man. Please call the warden and see what he wants done with that old fool..." Shaking her head, she turned her attention to Ranma. "Does he do such idiotic things regularly?"
Edited 2016-10-01 22:21 (UTC)
fortuneglass: credit - haptisms @ lj (OnO)

i thought a jack would be my big dream come true I Was Wrong

[personal profile] fortuneglass 2016-10-01 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[Her first thought:] ....His name was really Paradox...?

[Second thought:] Y-YUUSEI!?

You met Yuusei!? How did that even happen..!?

[The whole Has Yet To Occur deal at least is clear enough that she doesn't need to ask more about that.]
hoasen: (do you need this?)

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-10-01 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[THE CONTEXT MADE HIM NICE...AT THE TIME.]

Okay, I will follow. [And she does, following after him until they reach the mirror house.

She didn't know what to expect, but perhaps something that really doesn't spell "Large Attraction" is the best way to make it more mysterious.

Still--]


Thank you. [If someone had to go in first, it might as well be her, since she was the one who invited him. Once they settle down and enter the world of mirrors...it doesn't seem all that special.]

Perhaps one must go deeper in.
hoasen: (pathways)

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-10-01 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[She looks over at the bottle of peroxide and gives it a good look, there should be enough.]

I am assuming you do all the cooking in your household...?

[She now waves her back, before uncapping the bottle.] This is a risk, but after seeing what has happened to this dish, I doubt we will be surprised much anymore...?
hoasen: (hmm?)

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-10-01 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[What a polite girl, she's trying her best! But ah...well, it wouldn't do for her clothes to be taken and traded. Because she would have nothing to wear.]

What of your accessories? Are there any that you are willing to part with?

[She would understand if not, she came here with things she likes, it's not really fair to lose something.]
sunflowerfields: (In my dreams)

[personal profile] sunflowerfields 2016-10-01 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hinawa's eyes go wide.]

You mean, this is supposed to happen? Oh, dear... how much worse is it going to get?

[This is going to make returning home next year very awkward.]

No offense, but I had thought your stripes had always done that!
sunflowerfields: (Just what you mean)

The cookhouse!

[personal profile] sunflowerfields 2016-10-01 11:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hinawa is taken aback by the actual skeleton asking her for milk, but, reminds herself, this place gets all sorts of interesting guests, and she just has to get used to it. Still. A skeleton.

She smiles warmly nonetheless. He's polite, at least.]


Of course, sir! If you'd like, I can bring you a few cookies to go with it?
dragnerd: Via jellyabs on tumblr! ("whut" a la skeptic)

[personal profile] dragnerd 2016-10-01 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"Really?" He frowns. "That's weird. Usually things that look like that, y'know, do something." He crosses his arms with a huff, as if it should be totally obvious to this strange deer man that the rat thing should be able to accomplish some absurd feat.

"So it doesn't, like, get bigger or breathe some kinda gas? That's pretty boring."

Natsu stares for several seconds in silence before an idea pops into his head.

"Hey, can I touch it?"
dragnerd: Via kirthatiwele-icons on tumblr! (srs bsns)

[personal profile] dragnerd 2016-10-01 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
"Fire whatsit? No, man, I need water. Or maybe someone who can use water magic, or something." He glances back at the fire for a second. It might be worth a shot to try and put it out himself, but Natsu would really hate to make himself sick before he's even gotten to see everything. Maybe it'll just go out on its own?

"Hey, could you wait here? I'm gonna check and see if anyone got caught in it."

dragnerd: Via jellyabs on tumblr! ("whut" a la distress)

[personal profile] dragnerd 2016-10-01 11:51 pm (UTC)(link)
He spins around at the noise, having not expected to hear something from behind him. One look is all it takes for him to realize what just happened.

"Ahh, crap, okay. Uh. Are you alright?" A pretty obvious question, but Natsu's a little flustered right now. "I can, uh, get you another drink if you want."

Where'd that ball go?
dragnerd: Via otiozindasicons on tumblr! (precious cinnamon roll)

[personal profile] dragnerd 2016-10-01 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Sure thing! Just let me know if you're too high up, alright?

[ Natsu doesn't even bother to ask if he's ready, he just grabs him from behind and hoists him up with relative ease. Huh. He can't really see with a face full of blue jacket. ]

Where to, pal?
missionfail: (psh)

[personal profile] missionfail 2016-10-02 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
[The comment about her height annoys her a little, but she keeps it to herself. She's still rather large, it's true, but she should be larger. If everything pans out right that should be something she can fix when she returns to her own world.

Rolling her eyes, she holds out the mallet.]


Two tickets. Prizes aren't offered if the game is played incorrectly. Customers are responsible for any damage done to the stations.

[Go ahead, little dragon.]
missionfail: (blah)

[personal profile] missionfail 2016-10-02 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
[At recognizing who it is, the annoyance Jasper feels becomes a little more familiar. In a way it's welcome, but she isn't going to tell Peridot that. The green gem might be one of the last people she wants knowing about any new apparent additions to her physical changes, but at least she doesn't have to deal with some random newcomer.]

The whole rebel thing is getting old, you know.

[Fancy metal bending powers or no, and her own reduction in size aside, Jasper's sure she could still crush Peridot with one hand if she really wanted to.

She gets the papers in order, clearing her throat as she does her best to keep her breathing light to hide the fact that she's lost the ability to stop it.]
fortuneglass: credit - haptisms @ lj (owo'')

[personal profile] fortuneglass 2016-10-02 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
Eh? This? [She rather quickly shakes her head.] Definitely not!! This just happened when I asked for a way to travel faster...sometimes you have to be specific about things I guess, haha!

[She says this, but it is a lesson she Never Follows...]
fortuneglass: credit - haptisms @ lj (owo'')

[personal profile] fortuneglass 2016-10-02 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
Ah...hahahaaaa... [Gee Wizz Jasper you sure can kill a grin!

But Carly is determined! Nervous as the laugh is, she's right back to it!
] W-well, when it comes to magic, sometimes it's called 'lightning' anyway right?! In video games, and in books, and I bet even that place with all the wizards..!

...I didn't know you could do that though! It's really neat!
missionfail: (downward)

[personal profile] missionfail 2016-10-02 01:05 am (UTC)(link)
[The larger gem moves one arm in front of it, then holds out the other.]

Tickets.

[It's an unnecessary request, obviously. Amethyst is an employee. But Jasper is the one in control of the attraction, so she can exercise her right to be a dick.]